Comparing Bid Refinery and AutoRFP on features, UK public sector suitability, and pricing for bid writing teams.
| Feature | Bid Refinery | AutoRFP |
|---|---|---|
| Primary market | UK public sector | US/global RFP market |
| Tender document analysis | Automated (PDF/DOCX/XLSX) | RFP document analysis |
| UK-specific requirements | Native (PQQ, ITT, SQ, Social Value) | Limited |
| Evidence library | Built-in with approval workflows | Content storage |
| Free tier | Yes (Starter plan) | Trial only |
| Pricing transparency | Fully published | Varies by plan |
| Compliance checking | Gate criteria, mandatory flags | Basic |
AutoRFP is an AI-powered RFP response tool that uses language models to help teams draft proposal content faster. It is primarily designed for the US market and offers content generation, template management, and basic collaboration features. It has a straightforward user interface and is aimed at teams looking to reduce the time spent on first-draft production.
Bid Refinery is a purpose-built UK tender writing platform. It covers the complete bid workflow: uploading tender documents, automatic requirement extraction, evidence library management, grounded draft generation, compliance review, and export. The product is designed specifically around how UK public sector procurement works.
AutoRFP focuses on RFP document processing — extracting questions and generating responses. The tool works well for US-style RFPs that follow predictable question-and-answer formats.
Bid Refinery handles the more complex structure of UK public sector tender packs: multi-file packages (ITT document, specification, pricing schedule, appendices), extraction of mandatory requirements, identification of gate criteria (pass/fail requirements), and building a structured response plan. This is a meaningfully different challenge from parsing a US RFP.
UK public sector procurement has specific compliance requirements that a generic RFP tool does not handle:
Bid Refinery identifies these requirement types during analysis and flags them for attention. AutoRFP does not have UK-specific compliance logic.
AutoRFP offers content libraries where teams can store previous responses and reuse them. This is useful for organisations with consistent response requirements across multiple similar RFPs.
Bid Refinery has an evidence library designed for UK bid teams specifically — storing case studies, capability statements, CVs, policies, and accreditation documents with version control. The approval workflow ensures teams know which documents are current and cleared for use. Draft generation is grounded in this library content.
AutoRFP offers subscription pricing at various tiers. The specifics vary and should be confirmed directly on their website.
Bid Refinery publishes all pricing on its pricing page. The Starter plan is free. There is no credit card required to start, which allows teams to evaluate the tool before committing.
AutoRFP includes team collaboration features for shared proposal development.
Bid Refinery includes team collaboration on the Pro plan, with role-based access control, shared evidence libraries, and shared project workspaces.
For UK public sector bidding, the depth of UK-specific functionality is the deciding factor. AutoRFP is a capable general-purpose RFP tool; Bid Refinery is built for the specific complexities of UK public procurement. If your bids are primarily to UK buyers — NHS, local government, central government, housing associations — the specialisation makes a practical difference to your workflow.
No credit card required. Upload a tender, analyse requirements, and generate a first draft in minutes.
Start free trialCompetitor information sourced from public documentation. Features and pricing change frequently — verify with each vendor before purchasing.